“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Mathew 7:1) IS ONE OF THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD AND ABUSED SCRIPTURES IN BIBLE. Read the whole verse in context. Go ahead read it Matthew 7:1-5. It says “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
People love to throw these verses in the face of anyone who brings something to their attention that they see may be harmful to their life, the life of someone else or their spiritual condition. This scripture is NOT SAYING DON’T JUDGE AT ALL, it is just Jesus’ warning that if we do judge a situation that we better measure up and be living it before we point it out to someone else and it better be according to what Bible says. The Bible is our measuring stick. We are supposed to help one another. How in the world are we going to help one another if we don’t pray and judge righteously with love and the intent to improve something in a person’s life that we are seeing that they may not be seeing. God is our ultimate judge. He will, in the end, decide who goes to heaven or hell. But if we don’t judge ourselves and help others by pointing out sin to them in a loving way meant to restore and not hate or tear down how will they know? The Bible also says “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that THEY MAY BE JUDGED ACCORDING TO MEN IN THE FLESH, but live according to God in the spirit.” (1 Peter4:6). Further more it says in same chapter: “For the time is come that JUDGMENT MUST BEGIN at the house of God.” (1 Peter 4:17). Matthew 7:15-20 says You Will Know Them by Their Fruits—
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
DOESN’T THAT REQUIRE SOME JUDGING TO DETERMINE THAT? We absolutely SHOULD judge what is good and what is evil in this world! Isaiah 5:20 makes it clear that we BETTER JUDGE: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”
So, STOP USING THIS VERSE AS A COVERALL LIKE IT IS ONLY VERSE IN THE BIBLE! “Choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
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